Stockholm (IPA: ['stɔkhɔlm]; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the largest city and capital of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the official residence of the Swedish monarch. Stockholm has been the political and economic centre of Sweden since the 13th century. Today Stockholm Municipality is the largest of the municipalities of Sweden, with a population of 788,269 (June 2007), and Stockholm urban area with a population of 1,252,000 is Sweden's largest continuously built-up area. The metropolitan area of Stockholm has a population of 1,932,763 (June 2007). Its strategic location on several islands on the east coast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, by the Stockholm archipelago, has been historically important.